Sullivan endorses two casinos, approves $25,000 for analysis

March 26, 2014 —

MONTICELLO, NY — The Sullivan County Legislature on March 20 passed a resolution to support and advocate for two casino resorts to be located in the county. The resolution said the county has been seeking casinos for four decades, and said the casinos would provide financial support for education and desperately needed property tax relief.

The vote was eight to one in favor, with legislator Cindy Gieger voting “no,” because she said she was concerned about the impact on the county, and that the revenue generated would not be enough to cover the impacts. In a statement, she said there were examples of casinos in other areas where the “costs for roads, bridges, infrastructure, schools, public safety and much needed resources for the vulnerable, exceed what is realized in various taxes resulting in some combination of higher taxes or reduced services.”

In a related development, the legislature also voted to allocate up to $25,000 to the Sullivan County Partnership for Economic Development so it can “provide an analysis of the strategic geographic advantages in hosting Class Three gaming facilities in the county as opposed to other locations.”